At 32 years of age, who would even think that bowel cancer could affect me?

My Grandmother passed away with Bowel Cancer and my father & uncles all had polyps found, but all later on in life and all were caught in very early stages of growth.

The Jodi Lee Foundation came in to my work place and held a seminar on bowel cancer, the risks and early detection and encouraged everyone to take home a test. If it hadn’t been for this, six months later I would have developed bowel cancer.

I took the test, which came back positive. My doctor called and advised that it was probably nothing, but I still need to go in and have a colonoscopy to be sure and to rule anything out.

I went in for my colonoscopy not expecting too much to come of it, until I woke up and was advised by my surgeon that he had taken 12 polyps out, two of which would have been cancerous had I left it another 6 months. I was in shock. Who would’ve thought a healthy, fit 32 year old woman could have had bowel cancer?

Since the findings, I am going through genetic testing to find out if I have a genetic anomaly and to help guide the rest of my family if it is found to be genetic.

I can’t explain how much I appreciate my workplace for having the Jodi Lee Foundation come and present. If they hadn’t, who knows how far along the cancer would have been once I realised I had it.

I encourage anyone who has a family history or any signs at all (even if you think it’s nothing) to do the test. It is such a simple test to do, which could change your life. It certainly did mine, for the better.